Thaindian News

London, July 24 (IANS) Kevin Pietersen is all set for a rift with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) bosses, who want to restrict his participation in the Twenty20 format.
Pietersen aims to keep playing the lucrative events across the globe but the ECB are determined to reduce his appearances due to the risk of injury.

Add to it, the players’ union chief Sean Morris has warned some big names could try to get round the problems by quitting their England contracts and turning freelance.

Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff both returned from Indian Premier League (IPL) duty in April nursing injuries and Hugh Morris, managing director of the England team, was heavily criticised for allowing the pair to appear in the IPL in South Africa.

Pietersen aggravated his Achilles tendon injury during the IPL and, after months of discomfort, finally underwent surgery Thursday and will miss the rest of the ongoing Ashes series while Flintoff flew home from the IPL for an operation on his right knee that is still causing him pain.

Now, Morris has made it clear he will take a tougher line in future with players who are under contract to the ECB - starting with Pietrsen’s proposed involvement in the Champions League event in India in October.

Pietersen’s IPL team Bangalore have qualified for the Champions League in October - and he wants to play. A factor in Flintoff’s decision to quit Test cricket at the end of the Ashes series - is the money available to him in Twenty20 tournaments.

Morris is likely to have the support of captain Andrew Strauss, head coach Andy Flower and the England selectors.

Sean Morris, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, however fears trouble unless the international schedule is reduced.

“I can see issues with the ECB wanting to restrict the players’ appearances in non-international Twenty20 cricket,” Morris was quoted as saying in the Sun.

“I can also see the day when we have freelance cricketers, with players turning down England contracts. That’s the way the market will go and that’s very dangerous.

“Flintoff has already made a choice to concentrate on one-day cricket and other players will be making a similar choice. That doesn’t bode well. We want the best players to appear in Test cricket.

“I believe the solution is for less international cricket and proper windows to be created for events like the IPL.

“This will allow the players to earn without cutting across their England commitments.”